Various apparatus have been proposed to facilitate the humane slaughter of animals according to Jewish and Muslim dietary laws. By way of example, reference may be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,101,508, 3,324,503 and 4,308,638. As pointed out in these patents, the animal must be slaughtered in a certain way to make sure that the meat is clean.
In accordance with the Jewish ritual of shechita, or kosher slaughtering, the animal must be fully conscious when its throat is cut by a rabbi. The animal must also be oriented such that its body is above its head and throat for full bleeding of the animal before butchering. If the kosher slaughtering procedure is not performed properly, the meat of the slaughtered animal will be rejected as not kosher and typically will be of less value. Because of the difficulties presented by the restraining and handling of large animals such as beef cattle, many slaughtering houses have been plagued by high rejection rates.
Accordingly, a need exists for equipment that will facilitate the humane slaughtering of animals and especially large animals according to Jewish and Muslim dietary laws.